A Chicago couple visiting Cherokee County for a wedding were struck by a car Thursday evening while crossing a busy road near their hotel, investigators said.

The woman, 73-year-old Marie Collins, died at the scene, Cherokee sheriff’s spokesman Capt. Jay Baker said. Her husband, 78-year-old Ernest Collins, remained hospitalized Friday morning with serious injuries.

The wreck happened just before 7:45 p.m. at the intersection of Ga. 92 and Northpoint Parkway near Acworth, according to deputies. Authorities said the couple had just eaten at a restaurant and were walking back to their room at the Hampton Inn when they were both hit by a Buick sedan.

Several family members staying at the hotel came outside after the crash, investigators said. It was there that deputies notified them that Marie Collins had been killed. The couple were not in a crosswalk at the time of the wreck, which occurred in a dimly lit area, Baker said.

The driver of the Buick stayed at the scene and called 911, Baker said. No charges had been filed Friday, but the case remains under investigation.

— Please return to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution for updates.

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